HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY'S DIGESTIVE HEALTH THIS CHRISTMAS

Christmas is a time famed for over indulgence. What's not to love? Roast dinners, endless batches of cookies, countless glasses of champagne…

Yet, while all this feasting might leave you feeling festive, the same cannot be said for your gut. For most, bloating, flatulence and digestive distress are part and parcel of Christmas overindulgence. But it doesn’t have to be the case.

Here are some essential tips for keeping the whole family healthy this Christmas.

A kid-friendly probiotic

It’s easy to overlook your little ones’ gut health over Christmas. Yet their sensitive tummies can have just as much trouble digesting all of those festive goodies as yours. To keep the whole family happy and healthy this year, try introducing some kid-friendly probiotics to your children’s diets.

Chummy Tummy from ncapsulate® is perfect for little tummies. Containing seven strains of naturally-occurring beneficial bacteria (including the child-specific Bifidobacterium infantis strain), it helps keep intestinal flora at healthy levels – essential when recovering from a stomach upset. The tasteless probiotic powder can be added to food too, making it 100% fuss-free.

Stay hydrated

It can be easy to forget to keep on top of hydration during the festive period, especially when there are so many other goodies around. But a common cause of constipation and other digestive complaints is dehydration. Consuming the right amount of water keeps your intestines smooth and flexible, making it easier for the food to travel through your intestines. Without enough water, stools become hard, and a hard stool is more difficult to pass. To make sure you give your gut the best chance of dealing with all that rich food, drink plenty of water and ensure that consumption is spread evenly throughout the day.

Remember, little and often is the way to go when it comes to hydration, as your body can only make use of so much water at a time. If you find it hard to drink through the day, another strategy is to eat foods with high water content, like cucumber and celery. And remember, hot drinks like tea count towards your water consumption – the perfect excuse for a warming brew!

Eat plenty of fibre

Dietary fibre, which can be found in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains, helps to keep bowel movements regular. Around Christmas time, we may struggle more than usual to get the amount of fibre we need to maintain a healthy digestive system and avoid problems like constipation or bloating. But fibre is especially important at this time of year, when we tend to give our digestive systems a lot of challenging foods to deal with. To offset this, why not add a fibre supplement to your diet? Multi-fiber Nutritional Complex from ncapsulate® is a great source of insoluble and soluble fibre, helping keep your digestive system healthy and happy, no matter what you throw at it.

Keep moving

Another powerful tool in the fight against constipation is gentle physical activity, specifically walking. Inactivity has been shown to increase your risk of constipation, but studies have shown that as little as 30 minutes worth of brisk walking per day could significantly reduce the chances of constipation, as well as alleviate existing symptoms. Overall, exercise has a regulating effect on the body, helping food move through our systems quickly. So round up the kids and head out for a brisk walk – it’ll help you burn off all that rich food too!